A New Zodiac
by acardetta
Summary: When Yuki discovers a new Zodiac, what will the Fox both bring and take from the Sohma family? And what are Akito's plans for the young Amaryllis... This story is based on the manga, therefore Akito is a girl, but only to the people who know that before volume 12, as that is around about the time setting.
1. Chapter 1

A New Zodiac

Amaryllis' POV

I was always a lost cause to Akito. From the day that I was born in a small solitary room, somewhere in the a large estate, Akito knew that I would never be a true Zodiac. I, the Fox, was never meant to exist in the world of vengeful spirits. Therefore Akito never thought that it would be of any good to introduce me to the other Sohmas, and I was locked away by myself for the first fourteen years of my life. Until, of course, a silver-haired boy stumbled upon me.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked confused. I found the tilt of his head somewhat amusing. "I appear to be a girl. Or a Fox. Pick one." I mumbled, trying to figure out what member of the Zodiac this boy is.

"As in, a Zodiac Fox?" He said

"Yes. You?" I was getting bored now. Other people only annoyed me, and my lacking social skills did nothing to help.

"Rat. I'm Yuki. You know you're not supposed to be in here. Akito was frothing at the mouth last time he found Hiro exploring 'round up in the attic." Yuki said, a slight edge to his tone.

"Don't worry. I'm in this room on Akito's orders. I was born here, raised here, and everyone tells me that I'm gonna die here." I replied. There was no window in my room, just a rotting futon with a flickering lamp, providing just enough light to read the books that magically appeared by my bedside every week. It really wasn't that bad; my book characters kept me company, and I found ways to entertain myself through the years.

"Oh. Kay… So, you've been here your whole life?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's not that bad. Oh god, please don't give me that pitying look!" I exclaimed loudly. Well, at least loud enough to disturb a certain somebody who we really didn't want to disturb.

"Hello Yuki." The controlled voice flowed softly down from the doorway.

"A-akito." Yuki stumbled, the fear swarming his eyes.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be downstairs with the others?" Akito said, barely able to control her seen anger.

"Akito. I was just showing my dear friend Yuki what a wonderful and exotic room I live in." I butted in.

Yuki subtly shook his head to me, telling me it is best if I stay out of this. As if.

"Amaryllis, you know that rats are not welcome inside. I suggest, Yuki, that you leave now, and not speak to the others about this… incident. I will contact Hatori, but until he has set things straight, I suggest you think of Amaryllis as nothing more than a make-believe dream." Akito said.

Yuki simply nodded swiftly and ran down the stairs. I sat, motionless, more excited about my meeting with another Sohma than worried about the consquences, or the fact that Akito was clenching and unclenching his fists, ranting on about how stupid and horrid I was. See if I cared. I think that somewhere, Akito could have been a really good person, a friend maybe, but it seems in this lifetime, he is nothing more than an arrogant ass.

CLINK!

A shot of sharpening pain swept through my brain, clouding my vision and making my head feel disconnected from the rest of the universe. Somewhere, my body sank to the cold hard ground, and I blacked out.

Yuki's POV

Pushing Akito's deadly threats aside, there was still no way in hell I was going to tell the others about the new found Zodiac. As selfish as it may seem, I was almost happy that I didn't know Amaryllis personally. It wouldve only been ten times harder leaving her in that room with a raging Akito. But at the time, it felt as though Amaryllis wasn't one to be in need of desperate saving from the "prince".

"Yuki! Where have you been?" Asked Tohru, a steaming plate of some sort of hot food resting in her hands.

"Sorry to keep you worrying! I was just upstairs, taking care of some homework I had forgotten about." The lie came swiftly to me, and although I found guilty about lying to Tohru, who I was convinced had never said one untrue statement to me, I never thought about my lie twice.

"Oh, I didn't releise that you had to do homework Yuki! I thought the "prince" would be treated with the answers to our coming exam flattened out in front of him." Kyo eclaimed sarcastically, not bothering to wait for me and already half-way through his plate of dinner.

I made no reply to his comment, only a slight shake of my head. My thoughts rested as to what was upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Yuki's POV-

That night, as I try to sleep, all I could think about what Akito was doing with the Fox. I was getting restless, and definitely wasn't going to achieve anything by lying in my room. Getting out of bed, I slipped on a crisp shirt and scurry down the hallway, hoping not to disturb any night owls. Following only my irrational thoughts, I scampered up the narrow staircase, up to a familiar room that only earlier today I had discovered. There was Amaryllis' room. I slowly pressed my hand on the door, trusting the house to not squeak in protest as I opened the wooden door.

Amaryllis' POV-

After I had blacked out, Akito had cared for me. She cleaned and wrapped my fresh wound and sprained jaw from where she had struck me earlier. I wondered, many times, if she was my mother. But no, for one she was too young, and also I doubted that motherly love was something she was experienced in. As she was leaving, dragging with her medical supplies of all sorts, I started to feel somewhat drowsy. It was probably all those pills Akito gave me. Usually Hatori would have treated me, but apparently he was off on a trip somewhere. Akito usually never came to check on me, but she was doing it rather often now. I thought back to what happened earlier today, with the meeting of that Yuki boy. He was surprisingly unshocked at the fact that another unfound Zodiac was living in his attic, but I supposed that the Sohma family were rather experienced in the way of slightly unbelievable things. It was the fear in his eyes when Akito walked in that surprised me. Akito had beaten me bloody for a few times in my life, but I had never been afraid of her. She had a soft side, and although she was horrible and arrogant most of the time, I almost felt a desperate need to protect her. It was like some other being possessed her, making her say the appalling things she does, but inside was only a scared little girl. Maybe it was just that I had spent most of my life with rare visits from her being the only human contact I got. Or maybe my sanity was just dripping out of my brain.

Creak.

My ears pricked up. Akito? No, she rarely ever came to check up on me, and she had been in my room twice that day. A breaking record. Another creak. A sliver of greyish light feel through the thin crack in between my door and wall. I sat up in my bed, feeling somewhat nervous. Who on earth would come up here? Well. I never thought it would be _him._

Yuki's POV- I 3 FB

I silently cursed myself for letting the door make a noise. Then again, she wasn't going to find out I was here anyway. But what if Akito was still in the room? I don't know what would happen, but it wouldn't be good. At all. Uh, what the hell was I thinking? Too late now; the door was at least half-open and I could hear a gasp and rustling from inside the small room. Slowly, I poked my head through the opening. It was cold in there. Much colder than the rest of the house, but I guessed it was the attic. Small, deserted, a never to be found attic. Amaryllis was curled up in a knitted blanket, and for a brief second the image of Akito lounging in a leather chair with knitting needles found its way into my head.

"Uh, Yuki?" She asked uncertainly. I was just standing there, thoughts churning in my brain. She stared at me, probably awaiting a response to her query.

"Yes, hello. Umm, I was just…" I let the sentence trail off, unsure of how exactly to finish it. She looked momentarily confused, but shook her head and lay back down. That's when I saw her cheek. Without even meaning to, I absent-mindly walked over to her. Gently, I moved my fingers so they were a centre-metre away from her purple cheek, bandaged messily and red with her fresh blood. A deep pain split through my heart, almost as if I was the one who had the damage done to me.

"Yuki? What are you doing?" She asked accusily in a tired voice.

"Uh," My mind was like a blank white slate. For the second time that night I questioned what exactly I was doing. "Your cheek. What… happened?" I asked.

"Akito. Don't worry. I… Akito gave me some pills, and it doesn't hurt that much now." She said, her eyes diverting to my hand, still resting just above her bandages. Noticing that she was staring at it, I quickly drew it to my side.

"So, who are you again?" I laughed, trying to figure out more information about Amaryllis.

"A girl." She said looking anywhere bit into my eyes. I wonder why. Well, I doubt that getting information out of her is going to be that easy. I stood up to leave, fatigue clouding my vision, when a slim set of fingers caught at my wrist. I turned my body, facing Amaryllis. I was very aware that my lips were about ten centre-metres away from hers.

"Come back tomorrow, okay?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Amaryllis' POV-

My whole body tingled at the memory of Yuki being so close to me. Apart from Hatori, who came only to give me yearly check-ups on my health, I had never really spoken to a boy before. When I was younger, I thought Akito was a guy, but when I asked her about it one day, she told me that she only dresses as a guy to make her look tougher, therefore inflicting more pain on anybody she wants. I knew she was lying. Yuki's lips were a mere small distance away from mine, and although I let my words be harsh, my heart was fluttering manically. I had only met him earlier today, and yet the intimacy shared when he placed his fingers above my cheek, made me feel like one of the swooning book characters I read about, one who has just met her prince charming.

Yuki's POV-

"Wake up Mr Sleepy. What happened, drunk something you shouldn't have last night?" Shigure called out for the other side of my door. Shit. I'm going to be late for school. I swear there was some sort of student council meeting early this morning, uhh. The bare idea of getting out from under the duvet was painful.

Twenty minutes later, I had somehow managed to get myself up and dressed, as well as through the front gate of school. Where I was greeted by a painfully loud noise in my ear that shortly later resembles himself as Kakeru.

"Where the hell have you been?" He shouted, obviously not happy at my lateness. Oh well.

"Sleeping. I'm really sorry to keep you guys waiting. Next time just start the meeting without me." I said. I know I should feel bad about being late to the student council meeting, but I simply couldn't bring myself to care this morning. Maybe Kyo had put something in my drink.

As I slowly sauntered to the meeting room, I tried to remember some sort of dream I had last night. An attic… I could vaguely see Hatori's face. Hmmm. I would ponder of it later. But at the moment, I'm pretty sure someone just asked me a question.

Akito's POV-

I almost felt bad about getting Hatori to wipe Yuki's memories of Amaryllis. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep. But I knew better than that. The simple fact that Yuki sneaked up to her room last night was proof enough that Yuki could become a threat if he managed to become personally attached to my precious Amaryllis. Or vice versa. No, it would not do for Amaryllis to meet any other Sohmas. Maybe one day, once my plan for her has been completed.

Amaryllis' POV-

Usually Akito locked the door so that anybody could come in, but nothing could get out. Until now. Yuki was stupi`11d enough, or smart enough, I guess, to not fully slam the door shut. It was my turn to explore.

Once the house had settled, and everybody had gone off to their daily activities, I sneaked out. I didn't bother keeping my door open; I trusted it so that I could open it again. A gust of warm air blew in my face as I left my room, and I suddenly felt very nervous. All safety deserted, I set off to find out where I had been living my entire life. Akito would bring me books, both non-fiction and fiction, and therefore I learnt all I needed to know by them. However, as I found my way down the stairs and into the living room, I was struck at how big and simply luxurious it was. Beautiful Belgian rugs lay across the thick carpet, blanketing the cold wooden floor than for many years I have constantly lived on. I pondered across to the kitchen, where the smells overwhelmed me. Toast has filled me up for eighty-percent of my days, and even just the thought of what lay beyond those cupboards made my hungry mouth water. I would have to come exploring again one day and take some food back. But for now, all I really wanted to do was scan my surroundings. I walked along the coloured carpets, my feet adoring the constant strand s of soft material, rubbing against my bare toes. As I walked down the long hallway, I noticed a door. It was half-open.

Considering I had nothing to lose, and I was somewhat bored now, I curiously poked myself through the door, wondering what could be on the other side.

Ah. Never in my life did I expect an orange-haired boy to be lying on his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Kyo's POV-

Turning around to face whatever noise I had just heard, I found myself face to face with a girl.

"What the hell?" I said in total shock.

"Oh, I-i'm just… nobody." The unknown girl said, slowly backing out of my room.

"So, if your just nobody, what the hell are you doing in my room?" I asked questionably, getting off the bed and walking closer to her, for one I wanted to get a better look at her, and two, only to intimidate this girl. There was something oddly familiar about her, but I could ponder of that later. Now, I really needed to know how she got in the house.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" She said in a mocking tone. Hilarious; she was in no position to mock me.

"Ditched. And what about you? Oh. I see. I bet your one of Yuki's fan girls who totally stalks him twenty-four seven. Just FYI, breaking and entering a house is a felony. It's called trespassing." I said, still walking towards her as she stumbled back.

"Wait, Yuki has fan girls?" She asked, somewhat confused.

"Well, you do not go to our school. Or you have just been living under a rock." I said.

"No, I… It's just that Yuki doesn't really sound like the types to have fans…" She drifted off, narrowing her eyes at something behind me.

Wondering what it could be that had caught her attention, I automatically turned around, just as the girl sped off down the hallway. Shocked, I briefly thought of chasing after her, but she was probably out the front door and away with the wind by now.

Amaryllis' POV-

I wondered what the orange-haired boy would do if I told him about the attic, and my encounter with Yuki yesterday. Probably he would have freaked and shouted it out to the world, earning punishment from Akito. Best I stay away from him.

As I reached the stairway leading up to the attic, I reliesed my heart was beating and fluttering like mad. I had just done the most exhilarating thing in my life.

I creaked open the door, making sure not to close it fully so that I could go get some of that delicious-smelling food later on. Lying down on my bed, I tried to start reading a fresh new pile of books that had appeared yesterday morning.

_She ran through the forest, running constantly from those evil creatures, she ran. She ran until-_

My concentration was fading. Reading was suddenly a very hard task, as it didn't seem at all real now. Not now, when I had experienced my first words outside the constant wooden door.

Akito's POV-

I can't just keep getting Hatori to erase everybody's memories. No, screw that. I can do whatever I want. But I don't want to touch Amaryllis' brain, and I've erased too much of Kyo's past already. Then again, he might tell everyone.

I sighed aloud. Where did Kureno get to again? I need a drink. I should probably get someone to make some food for Amaryllis. As well as change the locks on her door. I will make sure nobody touches my Amaryllis, if it's the last thing I do. Well, until I want them to touch her.

Amaryllis' POV-

That night, as I lay in my decomposing mattress, I thought about my final request to Yuki. It was getting late, and I was starting to think that he wasn't going to come. Maybe he just forgot. Maybe he found it too weird that a girl was locked away just above his head, and wanted to have nothing to with me. But I needed him. I needed someone other than that damn Akito. I needed a life.

I guess that's the thought that got me up out of bed and through my door yet another time that day. It was dark outside the small circle of light that my lamp provided. I stumbled down the stairs, which yesterday I didn't even know existed. Um, where did Yuki sleep? That was a big flaw in my plan. I definitely didn't want to go waking up anybody else, like that orange-haired boy. He was far too loud for my liking earlier in the day, in the night he would wake up everybody in Japan. Well, I definitely wasn't about to go up back to my attic now. I would just have to find out which is Yuki's room by trial and error.

Ten minutes later, I had looked in three different rooms. No Yuki, just an odd selection of people. I managed not to wake anybody though, which I was incredibly grateful for.

The fourth door I came to, I went through the same procedure I did for the other rooms. I silently opened the door, wedging my body in the gap so that I could see if anybody was lying on the bed. It was no different from the other rooms; a small body tucked under the covers. I tip-toed across the room, gently lifting the sheet of the body's face.

A pair of dark blue eyes stared up at me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Amaryllis' POV-

"Yuki…" I whispered, more of a question than a statement. He gave a me a blank and confused stare,

"Yuki?" Now worrying. Was this boy just a very similar look-alike? No, this was Yuki. But he just looked at me strangely, as if he had never seen me before.

"Yuki!" I said again, louder than I should of. Finally he spoke.

"Who are you?" He asked softly. I almost screamed in frustration.

"I-" I was about to explain, maybe Yuki was sleep-talking. But then… oh.

_"I suggest, Yuki, that you leave now, and not speak to the others about this… incident. I will contact Hatori, but until he has set things straight, I suggest you think of Amaryllis as nothing more than a make-believe dream."_

Akito… Hatori… Yuki. I suddenly turned then, and swiftly sprinted out of the room. …_"A make believe-dream." _

I was almost at the staircase leading to the attic when my night went from bad to flipping hell.

Akito's POV-

From the single tear running down Amaryllis's face, to the dishevelled look as she ran down the hallway, I could tell that somebody had hurt her. I clenched my fists in anger, willing myself not to take it out on her. As she came near me, I spoke out of the darkness.

"Why are you crying?" I asked in a cold tone. A series of emotions sped across her face: shock, anger, confusion, hurt.

"I… I am sorry to bother you Akito. I must be getting to bed now." She stumbled over her words, just another indication of the fear and anxiety she felt around me. I needed to fix that one day.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are there tears running down your face?" I asked, walking towards her. She shook her head, and ran to the attic, shutting the door firmly behind her. I didn't bother following her; it wouldn't be as if she would be going anywhere any time soon. She just locked herself in.

Amaryllis' POV-

It took me a few seconds to calm down once I reached my room. I did think Akito would follow be up here to figure whatever he wanted to know, but after many minutes with no sound from the household, I cautiously let my guard down. A flood of emotions washed over my body. As I sank to the ground, I let my thoughts rest on Yuki. I knew him for what, a day? I knew I should probably get a grip, but he was the first real person to befriend me, to actually talk to me. I thought about last night, when he risked everything to come up and see me. The confusion in his eyes when I walked into his room, the utter misperception. Akito being at the end of the hallway was like rubbing salt onto a fresh wound. Her words, so cold and sharp. How could she do that to Yuki, to me? Standing up, I decided to get some sleep.

An hour later, I was pretty sure that I had dozed off once, and that seemed to be the end of my sleeping cycle. Another hour passed, I was still lying wide awake on my bed. Getting fed up of my own thoughts, I flicked on my flickering light, before letting out a blood-curdling scream.

"Shut your trap, Amaryllis. You'll wake up the whole house, and then I really won't be happy." Akito whispered rather harshly into my ear.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" I muttered back, sure that the shock and fear was showing in my eyes.

"Ha. You're so feisty." She said as I glared at him. "Anyway. We have some matters to discuss. Like your friend Yuki Sohma."

"Your erased his memories!" I screamed before I could help it.

"Shh. And _I _didn't erase his memories, Hatori did. But, it's for your own good. You'll see. Now, it wasn't yet time for you to meet the Sohmas. But, considering that has already been done, I am going to make things go a little faster. Tomorrow morning I will unlock your door. You will find a school uniform on the end of your bed. Put it on, and go downstairs to join the others for breakfast. Just tell them the truth. I don't care what you tell them, really. Act like them, do what they do, whatever." She said quietly, already walking out of the room.

I didn't know how to respond.

Kyo's POV-

The next day, I had massive bags under my eyes. I had spent the whole night wondering about that girl in my room yesterday. Sure, she was probably just a member of the Prince Yuki fan-club, like only so many other girls. But, there was something so oddly familiar about her. Almost like a sort of bond… Maybe I could ask Yuki about her later, if I can control myself to have a pleasant conversation, not fight.

Deciding not to ditch school today, I reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed. I was just about to walk down to take some food for lunch so I wouldn't starve to death, a knock on my door sounded out. Tugging on my backpack I walked over and opened the door to see a much discomforted Tohru.

"You… you haven't heard?" She asked restlessly. I wondered what was going on. Placing a comforting hand on her left shoulder, I spoke aloud my thoughts.

"What's happened?" I asked.

"There's a girl… a- another Zodiac sitting at the breakfast table." She said. I couldn't believe it. Was Tohru insane? The quickest way to find out was…

As soon as I got to the kitchen, I scanned the room for anybody I didn't automatically recognise. My eyes then registered the only person I didn't live with.

The same girl who was found in my room yesterday.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Amaryllis' POV-

Fear pulsed through my body as people entered the room, all staring hard-out. I had told my story, leaving out only my meetings with Yuki and that other orange haired boy. I had only told my story, however, to one exceptionally smiley brown-haired girl and she went on to spill it to the rest of the world. I kept tugging on my uniform skirt nervously, hoping I didn't look too out-of-place. I probably could have dealt with the task set for me of "fitting in", if it wasn't for Yuki, sitting across from the table, gazing intently at me, almost with a confused look to his eyes. I said the usual and polite greetings as everybody walked through the door, praying for my voice not to give away any sign of anxiety. My bets: Akito was kicking herself laughing somewhere.

At some point, I knew that that orange-haired boy would come to breakfast, but I still wasn't enough to prepare me for the pure look of shock written across his face when he came in with smiley girl. She was way too happy for this situation. Maybe she just did it to annoy the hell out of people, but as I watched orange-boy look at her with an affectionate glance, I started to think that the other Sohmas were depressed freaks and their only upside to life was seeing smiley-girl smiling.

Just as I was getting annoyed at having to come up with nicknames for everybody, a tall, dark-haired figure decided to take the gratitude to introduce me to everyone.

"Uh, hello new person." He started unconfidently.

"I have a name." I said back, willing my voice to sound sure of itself.

"Amaryllis." Yuki surprised everybody by saying. I doubted Hatori did a great job of memory-swiping. I was, however, pretty sure that I included my name while saying my story, not that I think anybody cared what my name was, more about who and how I got here.

"Well, Amaryllis, I'm Shigure, or you can just call me the handsome figure who simply roams around the place." He said.

"Except if you called him the latter, you would be lying." Called out that orange-boy, who had obviously gotten over his shock at seeing me again, and was now in the kitchen scrimmaging for food.

"That's Kyo. Or you can call him the sarcastic brat. Sorry, cat." Shigure said with a grin. "And the rat, Yuki." He went on to explain everybody else. I hoped that some part of my brain was remembering all these names, considering me and Yuki were engaged in a staring contest during around about the whole introduction.

Breakfast was rather uneventful, if you didn't count everybody gaping at me, and the fact that I've been living above their heads most of their lives. But as soon as we all got to school, I was swarmed with _people_.

My whole life I had lived with Akito, Hatori, and my exotic book characters. Just thinking about the people that teemed around the school grounds gave me a headache. Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru fitted right in; greeting and gossiping to people the second the entered the gates. But nobody forgot me.

Groups of people stared and conversed amongst themselves, not bothering to hide that their main topic of conversation was me. Almost the second we were inside the building, Kyo deserted me, leaving me in the company of Yuki, and was it Tohru? I guess that I really should have paid more attention to the introduction Shigure gave me.

"This is your locker, Amaryllis!" Tohru said. Every single word she says seems to end in an exclamation mark. "A locker is where you put your stuff that you don't need for that class!"

"I'm solitary, not stupid." I mumbled, even though I had no idea what a locker was.

According to Yuki, my first class for the day was Literature. Apparently, he had gotten over his shock at seeing me again, but had confessed to thinking he had seen me before. I didn't quite know what to say to that. Some part of my brain wondered vaguely why Akito hadn't said for my memories to be erased as well. Maybe she just wanted to watch me feel the loss of my first friend.

First period was easy; I have been reading my whole life, but then we had maths. Luckily I was in the same class as Yuki, therefore I sat at the back with him and basically copied his work, but I was still really nervous. I had never even heard of maths, let alone do four pages of algebra. Yuki said that he'll give me some tutoring lessons later, but my brain went fuzzy trying to pay attention in class, and I didn't really want another hour at the least of it.

The rest of the day followed basically the same as the first two periods. At lunch, Yuki took the gratidute to indroduce me to the other Sohmas that go to the school. It went okay, if not a little awkward, until one guy decided to throw a tantrum. He screamed in frustration, and I wondered what he was so pissed about. Could it be he pitied me for Akito keeping me in that room? No, maybe he was just angry that I was here, destroying all sane and logical reasoning of the Zodiacs.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Amaryllis' POV-

Tantrum dude seemed to be slowly calming down, but I didn't seem to be paying any attention to him. I think someone said his name was Hastuharu, but things like names was at the back of my mind as I watched intently at the scene before me. A full on fist fight was growing between Kyo and Haru, and Tohru was trying to break it up. As I stared, never before witnessed anything like it, I felt a soft warmth caressing my waist. Turning, I found Yuki raptly looking into my eyes, as if trying to work out a tough riddle. I knew the answer.

"You… You should probably come away Amaryllis. I'm sure Akito wouldn't like to get hurt." He muttered in my ear. As I nodded, having seen enough of the fight, I walked away to the backyard of the school grounds.

"Here. I'll take her. Your probably more likely to be able to calm black Haru down, you seductive baku nezumi." Came a voice from behind me. Turning around, I was faced with a serious looking Kyo.

Kyo's POV-

I didn't quite know what I was doing. All I knew was that I needed to figure out exactly who this Amaryllis was, and why I couldn't sleep at all thinking about her.

"Hello… um, was it Kyo?" She asked uncertainly. Of course she wouldn't remember my name. Why would she? It's not at all as if she felt anything like the tie I felt drawing me to her right now… closer. Closer.

"Kyo?" She asked again, when I still hadn't replied to her earlier comment.

"Yes, Amaryllis. I just… I just knew that Yuki , you see.. He um…" I wasn't paying attention to my words at all. Just, standing there distantly, lost in a series of irrational thoughts cartwheeling in my head.

"Do you like him? Yuki, I mean." She asked, seemly confused about mine and his relationship. Ha. She really has been living under a rock.

"No. Definitely not. Like, I hate his spoilt, greedy, fat guts." I spat, the constant anger bubbling against my skin arising at the mere thought of Yuki.

"Okay." She dragged out, looking even more confused than before. An awkward silence enclosed us. I stood about a metre from where she was standing, fiddling with the hem of her unworn uniform. I raked my eyes over her frail body, unwillingly transfixed at even the slightest details; the way her pleated blue skirt was ever so slightly too long, yet it seemed to fit her snuggly around her soft waist, and how her sailor top showed every perfect curve of her fragile body. She was far too pale; no doubt from the lack of sunlight in her little attic. Her face was arched in a perfect jaw, giving off a striking beauty that reflected the rest of her face. Her eyes… they were almost fiery. Not only had the got a certain mischievous look to them, but the hazel was flickering and shining, almost like fire itself. Her eyes danced in the light, delighting themselves with lies and deceitful looks.

It took me a while before I realised that those bright eyes were staring intently into mine. We both jerked backwards, as if being pulled by an invisible string.

Amaryllis' POV-

"Ah, Haru seems to be white again!" A sweet voice I distinctively detested came from behind Kyo, and if it weren't for the fact that we had both simultaneously jolted away from each other a second before, I would blame that Tohru kid for interrupting that… moment. I had felt something arise into me just then. It was all too obvious that Kyo was very unsubtly checking me out, so I had simply taken the opportunity to do the same to him. I had ever realised that I would feel whatever… _that_ was.

As we quietly walked over to the other side of the school's backyard, I found a much more polite Haru lying contently on the ground. It was rather hard to believe that this was the same person who had been screaming and kicking only a few minutes ago. Shaking my head in disbelief, I wandered over to where Yuki was standing.

"Hello, Amaryllis. Sorry for Haru, he um, does that sometimes." He said, much too politely and formally for my liking.

Rolling my eyes, I decided that I would make it my goal to get Yuki to think of me as a friend, like before he got his memories erased. Even only thinking about what Akito did shot a sharp pain through my heart.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Amaryllis' POV-

As the last bell for the day sounded out from the corridors, I was jolted awake from whatever class I was in. Finally, this long and eventful day seemed to be ending. Following Yuki like a clingy lap-dog, I packed up my belongings and went to meet Tohru and Kyo out by the front gates. Once I was there, I felt as if I was about to pass out from fatigue. Today really had worn me down.

"Um, I think I might walk back to Shigure's by myself." I mumbled, not really caring if the others heard me.

As I slumbered back to the house, I swore that some presence was following me. Turning around cautiously, I managed only to see a flicker if silver.

"Yuki…?" I called out, striving for my voice to be strong and not terrified of what could be out there.

"Yes. I'm sorry; I know you said you wanted to walk back alone… I didn't scare ya, did I?" he asked worriedly. Something hot rolled down my cheek as I thought of what Akito had done to my only friend. As another fiery trail rolled down my face, I came to the realisation that I was crying, and in front of Yuki himself. Embarrassed of my own emotions, I crumpled into a tight crouch, letting the tears come. Something caressed my left cheek, the same cheek that he cared for when he saw how Akio had hit me. I held his hand, as it cherished against my wet skin. He was kneeling, looking deep into my emotion-filled eyes. His eyes were caring, but as I slowly moved away they dilated, and Yuki immediately fell backwards as he tilted his head in what looked like a very confused motion. I sat, still kneeling on the cold hard concrete, frozen watching my friend shaking his head in disbelief.

His memories must be coming back.

Shigure's POV-

An hour had passed since school had finished. Kyo and Tohru were home, Kyo sulking on the roof and Tohru cooking up something that smelt delicious. But Yuki and that Amaryllis were nowhere in sight. I had always known that the day would come where Akito would let Amaryllis out of her cage… but so soon? I didn't know what she was thinking, but I doubt it will have a nice ending for anybody.

Where were they?

Getting both restless and worried, I decided to go out and look for them. They can't be that far away, right?

It was cold out tonight. The autumn chills rattled my bones as I walked glumly around the streets that the kids walk back and forth to school every day. Muffled cries from my left brought me back to the task at hand. Breaking into a sprint, I ran towards the sound.

I never knew Akito could be so mean.

"He… Hatori erased your memories of that night. We had met before this morning…" Amaryllis' voice whispered softly to a sorrowful looking Yuki. Both were crouched in a tight embrace, kneeling on the pavement. So that's where they were.

I had always known that Amaryllis was in the attic. I always knew who she was, and what Akito was going to do to her. But I had ever expected anything like this to happen. Since when did Yuki know that Amaryllis existed? And if he had his memories erased, why did he seem to remember now?

Not wishing to disturb them, I turned on my heel and walked back to where dinner was waiting.

Kyo's POV-

I would have to be blind not to notice how Yuki looked at Amaryllis. And, while on that matter, how Amaryllis looked at Yuki. I shouldn't be jealous; I had only met her yesterday. Maybe she really was a Yuki fan-club member in disguise. That would be a cruel joke, considering that moment we had shared earlier in the day.

As I stared up at the sky, I felt a sense of contentment. I always had liked high places. Maybe it was just my cat tendencies, but it had always calmed my thoughts. Hearing voices happily chatting below me however did not calm me. Especially when my enemy and the subject of my thoughts seemed way to close and friendly.

Shutting my eyes tightly, I felt the constant pang of jealously deep into my heart. _Why did he get everything? _

As they walked inside together, Yuki's hand on Amaryllis's waist I contemplated between going downstairs to greet everybody or sulking up here. The latter seemed far more appealing, despite the fact that I was getting hungry, and the delicious smells of Tohru's cooking wafted up from beneath me.

Laying back down again, I stared up at the bright skies' stars. The twinkled and shined in the far off distance. Something about that calmed me, shot a sense of happiness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

Amaryllis' POV-

I was happy. It was an odd feeling, most unlike the content peacefulness I felt when I was alone, safe away in my little attic. It felt so good to have people around me that laughed and smiled at the sarcastic jokes I muttered to myself. I felt the relationships building around, strong and sturdy like a wall that was protecting me. I think after a few days of be being out of the attic, the inhabitants of the house seemed to slowly untense whenever I walked into a room. Despite the fact that it was obvious that at first everybody was deeply unsettled with me being there, it was most uncomfortable for me. The feeling that rushed through me every time I stepped out of my familiar attic door will never desert me, and the sheer adrenaline that I got when I wandered the house, my eyes constantly darting around as if I was doing something terribly wrong. Kyo found me like this one day; sneaking around the house as if spies were after my every step.

"Amaryllis." He said, breaking me out of my daze as I slinked around the hallways. "What are you doing? You look as if it seems you are committing some great crime simply going to a different room."

I stopped, turning to face him and planning to let out an improvised argument about how I couldn't control it if the only times I have been out if my attic before three days ago was with the risk of getting caught and being terribly punished. Instead, I exhaled, straightened my back, and sauntered into the kitchen to get some food. There really was no point in starting a fight with Kyo; we were both very competitive and things only seemed to resolve in violence which somehow leads to Shigure running out in tears about how it was unfair that his house always seemed to get shattered. I had learnt this the hard way.

Picking up a red apple, I nip my teeth hard into the juicy flesh, before raising my eyes to a scowling Kyo.

"What up?" I asked him, raising my head to look into his dark hazel eyes.

"You really aren't a Yuki-fan-girl, are you?" He asked softly.

"What… Are you referring to Yuki's admirers at school?" I replied, confusion racing through my brain. I was never a fan-girl of anything. Or did Kyo just not believe my story? When I first met this orange-haired boy I felt I should be weary around him, I guess that applies even now, when we seem to be on good terms.

"Yes. I was just thinking… When you first ran into my room that day, I simply thought of you as a trespasser, or another Yuki stalker. But, there was something about you, almost like a soft connection that bonded us together. I don't know, maybe it was just the curse. I guess I am just blabbering." Kyo said almost shamefully, with his handsome eyes fixed on the kitchen flooring.

It seemed I was even more confused than before.

Yuki's POV-

My feelings toward the head of the family were very mixed. In some ways, I almost felt a deep respect that ran through my veins, but I only blamed that on the Sohma curse. Others day my entire soul was engulfed in hatred for the man, and today was definitely one of those. It had been a few nights since the first of my memories that Amaryllis had told me about had come back to me, but I still hadn't quite gotten over it. Every night I would have dreams about that night. Nothing much happened, but the look on Akito's face when he saw that I had discovered his little secret. A dark flame had flickered in his dark eyes, showing a glimmer of Akito's grim mysteries.

Resting my head on my pillow, I silently vowed to myself that I would find out Akito's secrets, as well as doing everything in my power to protect Amaryllis.

Amaryllis' POV-

As much as I enjoyed going to school and living a seemingly normal life, getting up so early was very difficult. It took many attempts by everybody in the house to finally stir me up from my thorough slumber. I somehow skipped breakfast, and instead was still tying my polished shoes as I ran, following Yuki, out the door. I was greeted joyfully by Tohru, and got a mumbled "Good morning" from Kyo. I smiled to myself. It wasn't much, but I still felt our relationship was getting stronger.

After we had walked a few blocks, and were almost at school, I felt a warm palm on my left shoulder. Turning on my heel, I found myself face to face with Tohru. Oh boy, here we go.

"Amaryllis, may I talk to you?" She asked without confidence.

"Uh sure, Tohru. How come?" I replied, already drifting off. Maybe I was too harsh on this brunette girl.

"Well, I couldn't help noticing that Kyo has been looking at you… In a weirdish way, and I am very sorry to but in as it is none of my business whatsoever, but you too wouldn't be in some sort of relationship or anything, would you? I mean, I don't mind if you are and I am terribly sorry for asking such a thing but I just couldn't help myself and…" She trailed off, running out of breathe.

I had absolutely no idea how to respond.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

Tohru's POV-

I knew I had to just keep going. Just… Not stop talking until all my tight emotions were spilt in a puddle beneath Amaryllis. Her face was paling, and at my mention of Kyo "looking at her", her head perked up in surprise. Maybe I should just walk away, just leave this new Sohma member to deal with her own relationships.

But this had bothering me for a few days now, and as rude as it seems, I could not go on any longer without letting my soul to rest by confirming that Kyo and Amaryllis did not have any substantial feelings for each other. Oh! I sound like Kagura. I must stop it with my selfish thoughts. I had liked Kyo for a while now. As hard as diamond as he was on the outside, his soul was like marshmallow; soft and addictive. But I supposed as long as he was happy, I couldn't ask for much more.

"Can I ask you something," Amaryllis asked, her soft voice breaking over the waves of silence.

I lifted my head, trying to read her eyes and determining what she was about to ask. "Sure. I guess." I replied.

Kyo's POV-

I trailed behind Yuki, too tired to start a fight. My eyes started to drift closed with fatigue; I hadn't managed to sleep at all last night. My mind was whirring furiously, and my heart had not slowed since yesterday afternoon when I had talked with Amaryllis. Although confusion had swarmed her eyes, I desperately hoped that some part of her had resisted and understood what I had said. A velvety voice rang out in front of me, and I was immediately separated from my reverie.

"Kyo?" Yuki asked, tilting his head in what to any girl would be a very charming gesture, but to me it only made him want to gag.

"Yes, Yuki?" I asked back sarcastically.

"You have stopped walking. Are you not planning on going to school today?" Yuki asked politely, knowing that this would only fill me with yet more rage. I, calmly as I could manage, shook my head and started walking.

We had only walked a few blocks before it became blatantly obvious that Yuki was trying to pick a fight. For what reason, I did not know. I that mattered at the time was that I was not in the mood, and if I did not get away from that spoilt rat soon I would explode.

Once again, I strolled behind, leaving at least at least a couple of meters in between us. As we passed a little side-street with nothing but a crumbling bakery on it, I quickly turned on my heel and darted down the road. I suppose I really will be skipping school today.

When I had found myself on one of the main roads again, I headed in the opposite direction from Yuki and school. As I sauntered through the busier parts of the city, I found myself recongising two familiar figures, locked in a conversation. So that was where they had gotten to.

I walked up to Tohru and Amaryllis, but still made sure not to be in sensed. I may as well hear what they were talking about, if only to be nosy.

"…You wouldn't have your own feelings for Kyo, would you?" Amaryllis quietly, almost shamefully whispered to Tohru.

My heart raced faster at this comment, it was not what I had expected. Of course Tohru didn't have any feelings except a slight friendship. But, looking at her face now made me not so sure.

"I… It's not my place to lay these confessions on you." Tohru replied, now walking towards school again. The bell must have rung ages ago, and I saw no point in going now.

Amaryllis sighed, obviously getting fed up with Tohru's tendencies. I watched her from behind a mob of people, all rushing to get to work. Horns blazed in my mind and the sound of tyres screeching swan in my ears. Slowly, Amaryllis raised her head and walked back home.

Amaryllis POV-

My conversation with Tohru had left a cold sweat layered around my body, and I found that my hands were shaking. I don't know why what she said to me that made me feel like this, but I did know that her eyes were the thing that showed me the most.

I slowly walked up to my attic, once there I rested my head on my pillow and picked up one of my books. Why ponder over my own problems when I can read about someone else's adventures? As I flicked on the overhead lamp, I heard an almost silent pair of footsteps. Shigure? Maybe Kyo had decided to ditch school. Slowly, my door creaked open and I dropped my book in shock as I saw who was here.

I had forgotten about her.


End file.
